Day 116 - Dion

Dion and his music have long represented a special time and place, reflective of a moment when a song could mean so much. When a singer could sum up what it means to be young, in love and on top of the world. Dion is more than a cherished memory as critic Dave Marsh noted, “Dion is the only artist from the 1950’s who has remained creative and relevant into the 2000s.” In 1958 he had three top-forty hits. In 2008 he was nominated for a Grammy. In 2020, is releasing new studio album Blues with Friends, joined by Joe Bonamassa, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons and many other rock luminaries. In the ’50s he was one of a handful of innovators who defined rock ‘n’ roll and that’s still very much the case.

R & B, blues, doo-wop and that first wave of rock all influenced Dion’s approach to music. But it was Hank Williams, the legendary country artist, who first sparked his ambitions. Williams’s hard-driving lonesome sound attracted the city boy and captured his imagination. By age twelve Dion had collected fifty of Hank’s singles and could sing them by heart. It was his feel for pure country that led to his first professional appearance when he sang Hank’s “Jambalaya” on Paul Whiteman’s show broadcast.

By his teen years Dion was singing on Bronx street corners and in neighborhood bars. He rounded up other local singers and they created their own a cappella arrangements, imitating instruments with their voices.

In 1957 Dion brought the best of these neighborhood singers together — Freddy Milano, Angelo D’Aleo and C… Read More